A/N: Surprise! Indeed, this one had not been intended. But I love Tamlen and couldn't resist...

"Two things that a person should never be angry at: what they can help, and what they cannot." - Thomas Fuller


Part 1: Hook In Mouth


He knew he was being hunted. It felt strange - the hunter being the hunted, that is. He could feel the predator's eyes boring through the back of his head. The leaves rustled above him and he knew that the stalker was hidden in the forest canopy. He wasn't aware of it at first, but he had picked up the pace.

She sped up as well, causing the branches to bend and the leaves to float down gracefully. When they started falling in front of him, his heart nearly stopped. She was impossibly fast one second and then utterly still in the next. Where was she…?

"Now, now, Lethallan, is this truly necessary? We are not children any longer…" His bright blue eyes were scanning carefully. Where was she? "I hate this game…"

"Tamlen!" she cried as she flew out of a nearby tree. She crashed into him, sending them both to the forest floor. He grunted, his hands finding her hips – instinctively he positioned them so that he was the one taking the brunt of the fall.

For a moment, they simply remained there. He blinked up at her smiling face. Then she was giggling happily… He enjoyed it when she was happy, but he didn't like being thrown off balance… He rolled them over and pinned her to the ground. "You are very troublesome," he let her know. She laughed even more.

"Liar. And by the way, it's not a game; it's a test!"

"This cannot be," he said with his own smile. "If it were, I would undoubtedly pass."

"Not this time, Lethallin." She smiled up at him. "Did I break anything?" she asked him after a moment.

He made sure that his blade and other equipment was intact. "No, everything seems to be fine."

"Good. Now then, would you allow me up?"

Hmm? Was he still…? He glanced down. Yes, he was. His body prevented any movement on her part and she was giving him that sly smile that he was seeing more and more recently. He scowled and grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Walk with me," he said, even if she had annoyed him. Well, he thought, it wasn't that she had annoyed him – it was the fact that he couldn't control his body's reactions to her. It was the fact that when he saw her smile, he wanted to do the same. The fact that just the brush of her fingers along his arm made his blood rush… The fact that she seemed immune to him even when he made a pass at her…

"Tamlen," she called from behind him. She caught up easily. "What is making you frown like that?" She poked his cheek and he looked at her as if she'd punched him.

"Virtua, you are playing with fire here."

"Hmm... Funny. I thought I was playing with you."

There it was again – that damned smile that made his insides knot up and made him feel…stiff. He sighed heavily and decided to ignore her… Why do that, one might ask him… The reason was simple: because she hated it more than anything.

"Tamlen. Tamlen, are you listening to me?" It was music to his ears, truly. "Tamlen, I will plunge this blade into your side!" she threatened, but he knew that she was lying.

"Can you not just enjoy the walk?" he asked her.

She was scowling when he decided to look at her. Those pale blue eyes held no heat, however. She gave him another bright smile. "I can," she said after a moment. "But only because I'm with you."

He'd kill her. She was tormenting him deliberately. Oh, he'd make her pay for this. Somehow, someway, she'd be sorry… He shook his head.

"Here," he said after they reached the lake. He handed her a long rod that was meant for fishing. "I'm going to check the traps." He went to do so.

Virtua sighed and started poking around in the dirt. She could find the night crawlers easily here. Fish enjoyed such things for some reason. She'd watched a young one eat one of the wiggly creatures before – had been a little disgusted, actually.

Yes, Virtua preferred the finer things – honey from the beehives, the fruits and vegetables that she so enjoyed scavenging for and sometimes, very rarely, she'd indulge herself and eat the meat that the deer, the birds or the bears offered. Fish was not her favorite, but it was better than… She looked at the writhing pink creature in her hand and made a face.

She glanced over, observed Tamlen's progress as he pulled one of the nets out, revealing a few fish – not enough to feed their clan. Good thing it wasn't completely up to them to bring something back. The thought made her smile.

Tamlen moved for the next net and started pulling it up; she watched his muscles work, watched as he frowned at what little the net had captured. She loved that thoughtful frown, loved all of him, really.

She knew that he thought she teased him. In truth, however, she felt just as he did. She treasured every second she had with him, every brief touch. She loved when he glanced at her when he thought she wasn't looking – but she was always looking, always looking at him. She found that she couldn't help herself.

"What about the cages?" She cast the line into the water and smiled. Tamlen met her gaze over the water and went to check the cages as well. Only a few crawfish.

Tamlen came to her side, bringing their small bounty… He collapsed and took out his own fishing supplies. He didn't look happy in the slightest.

Virtua gave a short laugh and he glared at her. "Fret not, Tamlen," she said, running her fingers through his shiny blonde hair. "The other hunters are sure to bring back more than us; this is sad, but true. We were simply not made to be food gatherers."

"Indeed," he agreed. "So, why did the Keeper send us out here…?" he wondered aloud. "Surely, she knows that we would be much better – not to mention, we would rather be – fighting off possible shemlen attacks."

Virtua nodded her head, causing her ebony hair to fall into her face. She brushed it aside quickly. Felt a gentle tug on the other end of the line. Immediately, her attention went to that. Another tentative tug. Then the fish was caught on the hook. She pulled him in quickly and handed him off to Tamlen.

The fish was put into one of the other nets. They all flopped and labored for the water that they relied on so heavily. It was always a sad thing, she thought, to see another creature die. But the clan always gave thanks, for without those creatures, they would surely perish as well.

Tamlen couldn't help but feel the same as the fish she'd just captured. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring out at the water, her mouth set in a gentle frown that he wanted to kiss off of her face.

He was hooked. Had been for a while now, but he had not wanted it to be so. Why did the thought scare him so much? It was something that he had wondered about countless times. He liked saying that Dalish hunters felt no fear, but...that was obviously an untruth.

It wasn't such a terrible fate, really. He nodded to himself. Virtua was all things bright and good, she was laughter and hope. Sure, she could be childish sometimes, but he found that he actually enjoyed her antics.

Tamlen grunted, causing her to look back at him. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he was quick to reassure, even as he climbed to his feet. He went to tell her about his new-found discovery and then thought twice about it. He closed his mouth. She gave him a curious expression, but didn't press the issue.

He was used to her teasing him, purring things at him like, "I've missed you…" or "I wanted to be with you…" Would she tease him about this? Would she laugh because she believed he was joking?

He'd have to tell her, though. Sooner or later. Later, he thought. He'd tell her when they were all alone, when that mischievous glint that was always in her eyes was no longer present. Kind of like right now…

Right now, she wore a sad expression – one that he was not used to seeing on her. "Is something wrong with you, Lethallan?" he asked, concerned.

She smiled, shaking her head. "No, I'm fine. Happy, even."

"Really now? Why is that?" He was incredulous.

"Because," she murmured, "I'm with you."

Yep. He was definitely a fish - a fish that had been swimming around, completely at ease, before she decided to go fishing in his water-hole. Now he was hers to toy with, hers to torment.

He smiled. For now, until he built up the courage to tell her how he felt, he wouldn't have things any other way.

"What do you say we head back now?" he asked her. "You're right about one thing: the other hunters have most likely caught something worth eating!"


Part 1: complete! And for anyone that's not a nerd - like me - I used "Elvish" terms. Shemlen - "quicklings" or "quick children" (it's what the elves call the humans...), Lethallin and Lethallan is a casual reference used for someone with whom one is familiar. Lethallin is used for males, while Lethallan is used for females.